Repair patch support



Jan. 4, 1966 A. L. MITCHELL REPAIR PATCH SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 2, 1964 INVENTOR.

2 a 57' ZCQ ZZ.MZC/ZeZZ Jan. 4, 1966 A. MITCHELL 3,226,393

REPAIR PATCH SUPPORT Filed April 2, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I INVENTOR.

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States Patent C) ice 3,226,893 REPAIR PATCH SUPPORT Ancel L. Mitchell, 8559 E. G Ave., Kalamazoo, Mich.

Filed Apr. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 356,782

' Claims. (Cl. 52-173) The present invention relates to the repairing of wall structures, and is more particularly concerned with a means. and method for' patching holes in unbacked sheetform structures. p

The. f use of prefabricated plasterboard, commonly known as dry-wall, has become extremely widespread in the building industry, since the material is relatively inexpensive, strong, free from cracking and, when applied by skilled craftsmen, can be utilized to construct walls and ceilings almost undistinguishable from those prepared from lath and. plaster- In addition'to its inherent economy, dry-wallboard is sufficiently strong and selfsustaining thatit is not necessary to ntilizea lath or lath-board backing for the dry-wallboard, and the Wallboard is therefore generally aflixed directly to the studding, for example two by fouror two by two boards.

This resultsin a further appreciable saving in materials.

Occasionally openings are cut into a wall to provide a passagewayior pipes, vents, electrical wiring, or the like, which openings must in many cases be subsequently covered over or patched up when the numerated structures are relocated or removed Moreover, it occasionally becomes necessary to patch up or repair dry-Wall panels, as in the. case of holes accidentally or otherwise made therein by children, animals, etc, Since, as pointed out, no lath or lath-board is commonly utilized in conjunction with dry-wallpanels, there is no support against which to apply plaster or other suitable patching material. Consequently, it is diflicult to insert the patching materialinto the holes and cause it to be retainedtherein until it dries and adheres to the edges of the plasterboard. Moreover, even after the patching material dries, the patch is not sufiiciently strong, since there is no backing support for the patch and the thin edges of the hole do not offer'suflicient surface at which a strong adhesive joint may be provided, For the foregoing. reasons, no completely satisfactory means or method has been de veloped for patching holes in dry-wallboard up to the present time.

It is accordingly an object. of the present invention to provide a means enabling dry-wallboard to be satisfacto- It. is a further object to provide such a According to the invention, a repair patch support is provided having such dimensions as to enable it to be inserted into a holei'n a dry-wall panel which is to be patched and; when placed over the rear of the hole, to engage the inner surface of the panel and cover a substantial portion of the hole. prises abase plate and is provided with spring-loaded extensor means such as ext'endable legs having associated springs. The legs are biased toward extended position v The device is provided with latch means for maintaining the extensor means in retracted position: against. the base plate during insertion, and with actuating means extending through. a hole in the base plate permitting the latch to be released from: the side opposite that on which the extensor; means are mounted. In operation, the. patch support is inserted through an. exist- Thepatch support c'om- 3,226,893 Patented Jan. 4, 1966 ing hole in a dry-wall panel and positioned against the inner surface of the panel. The latch is then released permitting the legs to extend and to engage the inner surface of an opposite wall which is spaced apart from the first panel by means of a stud, such as a 2 x 4 or the like. As a result of the engagement, the patch support is maintained in biased condition against the dry-wallboard, providing a rigid support for the patching material with which the hole is to be repaired. The base plate of the patch support may also beprovided with holes or a roughened surface to enable a strong adhesive bond to be established between the patch support and the patching material employed.

The invention in its preferred embodiment is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a patch support according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the support.

FIG. 3 is a sectional plan view taken through a wall structure.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a spring utilized in the invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional plan view of another embodiment of the invention shown positioned within a wall structure.

' FIG. 6 is a plan view of the patch support taken at the line 66 of FIG. 5, and

. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a wall structure taken at the line 7-7 of FIG. 6, illustrating the patch support in place supporting a completed patch.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings for a better understanding of the invention, wherein all the parts are numbered and wherein the same numbers are used to refer to corresponding parts throughout.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the patch support of the invention is shown comprising a base plate I and leg assemblies 2 and 3. The leg assembly 2 is comprised of legs 4 and 5 having turned up toes 6 and 7 terminating in points 8' and 9, and a transverse section 10 connecting the legs 4 and 5. The leg assembly 2 is hingedly mounted on the base plate by means of staples or loops 11 and 12. Theleg assembly 3 is comprised of legs 13 and 14, having toes 15 and 16 and terminating in points 17 and IS. A transverse section 19 connects the legs together and is hingedly mounted on the base plate 1 by means of staples or loops 20' and 21. The legs 4 and 5 are spring loaded outwardly by means of a spring assembly 22 comprised of a base-engaging loop 23 and terminating in a hook 24 engaging the leg 4 and a hook 25 engaging the leg 5. The legs 13- and 14 are spring loaded outwardly by means of a spring assembly 26 (shown in detail in FIG. 4) comprising a base engaging loop 27, and terminating in a hook 28 engaging the legs 13 and in a hook 29 engaging the leg 14. Other types of springs and spring-biasing arrangements known in the art may of course be utilized instead of the structure shown. A latch 30 having a leg-engaging member 30a engages and maintains the legs in retracted or closed position while the patch support is being inserted into and being positioned over the hole in a wall panel. The latch 30 is provided with a shaft 31 extending through an opening in the base plate 1 and terminating in a key 32 by means of which the latch may be released.

A string 33 may be affixed to the key as a safety precaution to retrieve the patch support if it should accidentally fall to the bottom of the wall structure.

FIG. 3 illustrates. a dry wall structure comprising a .front panel 35,. a rear panel 36 and a 2 x 4 stud 37 mainfront of a hole 39, with the legs in extended position engaging the rear wall 36 by means of the spring assemblies mounted thereon, as described above, which urge the base plate 1 against the inner surface of the front wall 35. The points 8, 9, 17, and 18 engage the surface of the inner wall of the rear panel 36 and prevent movement of the patch support assembly.

After the patch support is positioned in place as shown in FIG. 3, a suitable patching material such as plaster may be applied against the base plate 1 to fill the hole 39. The base plate may be provided with a plurality of small openings or interstices 40 permitting the patching material to enter therein to cause the base plate 1 to be positively secured to the patching material. Alternatively a base plate with a grooved or roughened surface may be used for this purpose.

The broken lines shown an arrangement in which the patch support is positioned in place between the front wall 35 and a rear wall 36a spaced apart from the front wall 35 by narrower studs as are sometimes utilized in the construction of economy-class houses.

In FIGS. -7 an alternative embodiment is illustrated which may be utilized to repair holes in both front and rear panels, which holes are in a sufficient degree of registry with each other. This embodiment comprises a pair of base plates 41 and 42 afiixed together by means of springs 43 and 44 hingedly affixed to the base plates 41 and 42 by suitable means such as hooks or loops 45 and 46. The plates are maintained in retracted or closed position by means of a latch 47 comprising a hook 48 adapted to be inserted into a slot 49 (shown in FIG. 6) provided in the rear base plate 42. The hook 48 is affixed to a shaft 50 extending through an opening provided in the base plate 41 and terminating in a key 51. The patch support may be placed in retracted position by forcing the base plates 41 and 42 together and guiding the hook 48 through the slot 49. After the hook 48 has been inserted through slot 49, the key 51 is turned sufficiently (one-fourth turn generally being sufficient) to secure the assembly in retracted or compressed condition. The patch support is shown in FIG. 5 in broken lines in the retracted condition, with the rear base plate shown as 42 and the springs shown at 43' and 44'. The assembly in such retracted condition is inserted through a hole 52 in the front panel 53 of a wall and the base plate 41 is placed in position over the rear of the hole. The key 51 is then rotated until the hook 48 is in registry with the slot 49, causing the base plate 42 to be released and permitting it to extend and to engage the inner surface of the rear panel 54, where base plate 42 covers the hole 55 in the rear panel. Patches may then be applied to either or both holes, one patch being supported by the base plate 41 and the patch in the opposite wall being supported by the base plate 42.

FIG. 7 illustrates a structure utilizing the patch support of FIGS. 5 and 6 in place between oppositely positioned holes in a pair of spaced-apart dry-wallboards. A patch 56 is shown in place behind the hole, having extrusions 57 and 58 between the patch and the panel, as well as extrusions 59 and 60 through openings 61 provided in the base plate 41, securing the patch to the base plate.

The spring 44 is shown in detail in FIG. 7 and comprises a transverse section 62, leg members 63, 64, 65, and 66, coils 67 and 68, and toes 69 and 70.

The base plate of the invention may be fabricated from any suitable sheet-form material such as plasterboard, pressed composition boards of various types, e.g., Masonite, wood, plywood, metal, or plastic material. Openings may be advantageously provided in the base plate to engage the patching material. Alternatively, a roughened surface may be provided to ensure good adherence between the patching material and the base plate.

The extensor means may comprise one or more springloaded legs, as shown in FIGS. 14, a spring-loaded base plate as shown in FIGS. 5-7, or any other suitable means. Any suitable type of spring may be utilized to spring-load the extensor means, for example, wire springs, torsion springs, or coil springs. Although the arrangement shown in the drawings is preferred, many other variations may be utilized. For example, a single large coil spring may be utilized as the complete extensor means or, alternatively, may be mounted between two base plates to form a structure comparable to that of FIGS. 57.

Although the patch support of the present invention has been shown for use in repairing walls of buildings, it is readily adaptable for use in other types of structures. For example, holes in panels of wall structures such as in bodies or doors of automobiles or hulls or other structures of boats, may be repaired in similar manner by inserting a patch support of the invention, it necessary appropriately modified, and subsequently filling the hole with a suitable filling compound such as a resin-based adhesive containing a powdered metal, glass fibers, sawdust, or the like.

The present invention is extremely useful in repairing walls, particularly walls constructed of dry-wall panels. The patch support may be readily inserted in place behind a hole in a wall, and a patching material used to fill in the thus-backed hole. The patching material adheres readily to the base plate of the patch support, particularly if the plate is provided with interstices, perforations, or a rough surface. The resulting patched structure is extremely strong and rigid and, what is frequently even more important, though the patch support may itself be readily and inexpensively fabricated, it has already proven to be an extremely valuable time and labor-saving device.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction, operation, or exact materials or embodiments shown and described, as obvious modifications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and the invention is therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A repair patch support for repairing a hole in a panel of a wall structure comprising a first panel and a second panel spaced apart therefrom, said patch support comprising 4 a base plate adapted to be inserted through and positioned behind said hole in engagement with the inner surface of said first panel,

extensor means adapted to be arranged alternatively in retracted and extended position and spring-loaded to engage said second panel in extended position, latch means arranged to restrain said extensor means when in retracted position, and

means for actuating said latch means to release said extensor means and permit said extensor means to extend and to engage said second panel, whereby said patch support is firmly secured against said first panel behind said hole.

2. A repair patch support for repairing a hole in a panel of a wall structure comprising a first panel and a second panel spaced apart therefrom, said patch support comprising a base plate adapted to be inserted through and positioned behind said hole in engagement with the inner surface of said first panel,

a plurality of legs hingedly mounted on said base plate adapted to be arranged alternatively in retracted and extended position and to engage said second panel in extended position,

spring means biasing said legs toward the extended position,

latch means arranged to restrain said legs when'in retracted position, and

means for manually actuating said latch means to release said legs and permit said legs to extend and to engage said second panel, whereby said patch support is firmly secured against said first panel behind said hole.

3. A repair patch support for repairing a hole in a panel of a wall structure comprising -a first panel and a second panel spaced apart therefrom, said patch support comprising a base plate adapted to be inserted through and positioned behind said hole in engagement with the inner surface of said first panel,

a pair of legs hingedly mounted at each end of said base plate adapted to be arranged alternatively in retracted and extended position and to engage said second panel in extended position,

spring means engaging said base plate and said legs and biasing said legs toward the extended position,

latch means arranged to restrain said legs when in retracted position, and

means for manually actuating said latch means to release said legs and permit said legs to extend and to engage said second panel, whereby said patch support is firmly secured against said first panel behind said hole.

4. A repair patch support for repairing a hole in a panel of a wall structure comprising a first panel and a second panel spaced apart therefrom, said patch support comprising a pair of base plates adapted tobe inserted through and positioned behind said hole with one of said plates in engagement with the inner surface of said first panel,

means for spring-loading said base plates away from each other and permitting said base plates to be arranged alternatively in close or spaced-apart position,

latch means arranged to restrain said base plates when in close position, and

means for actuating said latch means to release said base plates and permit said base plates to extend to a spaced-apart position and to engage both said panels, whereby said patch support is firmly secured against said first panel behind said hole.

5. A repair patch support for repairing a plurality of holes in registry, one in each panel of a wall structure, comprising a first panel and a second panel spaced apart therefrom, said patch support comprising a pair of base plates adapted to be inserted through and positioned behind said hole with one of said base plates in engagement with the inner surface of said first panel,

spring means mounted on and engaging both said base plates and spring-loading said base plates away from each other and permitting said base plates to be arranged alternatively in close or spaced-apart position,

latch means arranged to restrain said base plates when in close position, and

means for manually actuating said latch means to release said base plates and permit said base plates to extend to a spaced-apart position and to engage both of said panels, whereby said patch support is firmly secured against said panels behind both said holes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1952 Eslick -83 5/ 1953 Wieman 5083 11/1955 McGuire 50-83 XR 8/1961 Helton 50-83 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 12/1963 Canada. 

1. A REPAIR PATCH SUPPORT FOR REPAIRING A HOLE IN A PANEL OF A WALL STRUCTURE COMPRISING A FRIST PANEL AND A SECOND PANEL SPACED APART THEREFROM, SAID PATCH SUPPORT COMPRISING A BASE PLATE ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED THROUGH AND POSITIONED BEHIND SAID HOLE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID FIRST PANEL, EXTENSOR MEANS ADAPTED TO BE ARRANGED ALTERNATIVELY IN RETRACTED AND EXTENDED POSITION AND SPRING-LOADED TO ENGAGE SAID SECOND PANEL IN EXTENDED POSITION, LATCH MEANS ARRANGED TO RESTRAIN SAID EXTENSOR MEANS WHEN IN RETRACTED POSITION, AND MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID LATCH MEANS TO RELEASE SAID EXTENSOR MEANS AND PERMIT SAID EXTENSOR MEANS TO EXTEND AND TO ENGAGE SAID SECOND PANEL, WHEREBY SAID PATCH SUPPORT IS FIRMLY SECURED AGAINST SAID FIRST PANEL BEHIND SAID HOLE. 